Medieval oat cake recipe
There's something satisfying about old recipes. They're simpler in concept, made with less precise tools, and often require less time and effort to prepare.
I also feel less pressure to get these recipes perfect. It's not like they had gas stovetops with down-to-the-degree temperatures in the 12th century, so who cares if something is a bit burnt? That's life.
A few years ago I came across a recipe for oat cakes and decided to give them a try. I was extremely pleased with the results. The cakes were hearty, sweet without being sugary, and incredibly filling.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup (250g) rolled oats
- 1.5 cups (150g) oat flour
- 1.5 sticks (170g) butter melted
- 1.5 cups (50 g) dried fruit chopped (apples, apricots, cherries)
- 6 tb (125g) honey
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
There are two ways to prepare these: bake them in the oven or fry them in a dry skillet. The former is easier but doesn't produce as good results. I recommend frying.
METHOD
- Add oats, dried fruit, cinnamon, and salt to a bowl and mix.
- Add the honey and butter and mix.
- Add oat flour and mix.
- Form small, thin patties and place on a dry pan on med-high heat.
- Cook for 2 minutes, or until the bottom is almost black.
- Flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Carefully transfer to a cooling rack or plate. They'll be crumbly.
Note that you may want to adjust the amount of oat flour to get the right consistency. The batter shouldn't be liquidy, but just sturdy enough to form patties out of.